Mineral processing

circuits- Detection of
the appropriate
sampling scheme

Kalaitzi Fani
Dr. Mining Engineer-Metallurgist, Hellas

Tsakalakis Konstantinos
Associate Professor, National Technical University of Athens, Hellas
kostsakg@metal.ntua.gr

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 INTRODUCTION

In order to assess the operation and the
performance of mineral processing
plants, the establishment of the most
suitable sampling scheme is inevitable

For this reason it is proposed a suitable
algorithm for the elaboration of the most
suitable sampling procedure

The sampling schemes usually
developed refer either to steady-state or
to dynamic conditions of a plant.
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INTRODUCTION (continued)

The development of a suitable mass-balance
flowsheet at steady – state conditions has been
proved to be a powerful tool, in order to achieve
higher plant recoveries and more effective product
(concentrate) control

Furthermore, the steady – state sampling scheme
is often an essential step towards building either
steady – state or dynamic models of unit
operations depicting adequately the mineral
processing procedures.

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 ANALYSIS OF THE PROBLEM

A mass-balance system consists of equations
derived from the chemical or other type analysis of
the samples collected along the plant streams.
The main objective of the flowsheet sampling-
scheme is the configuration of linearly
independent equations ensuring a unique solution
of the system of equations

The circuit topology is a critical issue in this
procedure, since there are some essential
constraints in the detection of the appropriate
streams to be sampled, which must always be
taken into account.
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 ANALYSIS OF THE PROBLEM

It can be easily proved that, there is not any
feasible and at the same time unique
sampling-scheme for each circuit, but usually
many alternatives could be applied. The
elaboration of the final sampling- scheme
depends on many factors

In order to overcome this difficulty, an
algorithm is proposed here for the detection
of the most efficient sampling schemes.

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 PRESENT WORK
The algorithm, developed in this work, presents the
following features:

It detects all the possible sampling schemes of a
mineral processing flowsheet, e.g. all the possible sets
of flowstreams to be sampled ensuring a mass
balance

Each of the configured system of equations gives a
unique solution

It can be applied to every circuit, either it consists of
simple nodes or not, and

It can be used as a background for the development of
a computer program for the elaboration of sampling
schemes in mineral processing circuits.
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SAMPLING-SCHEME BACKGROUND

Any plant flowsheet can be reduced to a series
of nodes, where the process flowstreams either
join or separate, as shown below

A simple node has either two inputs and one
output or the opposite
1

2 Inputs Simple node 1 1 Output

1 Input Simple node 2 2 Outputs

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SAMPLING-SCHEME BACKGROUND

Nn denotes the total number of the internal
nodes

Nr designates the number of known flowrates
(input streams or reference streams)

Ns is the total number of the streams observed
in a flowsheet

Ner is the number of the additional equations
required to configure a system of mass balance
equations given by:

Ner = Ns − ( Nn + Nr )
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SAMPLING-SCHEME BACKGROUND

Thus, Ner number of nodes must be suitably
selected in the flowsheet to configure the
additional partial mass balance equations
required (Ner must always be Ner ≤ Nn)

If Nssmin is the minimum number of streams to
be sampled for the mass balance configuration,
it has been previously proved that:

Nss min = 1 + 2( Ner − 1)

Nss min = 2( Ns − Nn − Nr ) + 1
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 SAMPLING-SCHEME
BACKGROUND

All the possible combinations of the (Nn+1)
nodes taken Ner at a time are given by:

 Nn + 1 = ( Nn + 1)!
 Ner 
  Ner!( Nn + 1 − Ner )!
where (Nn+1) is the total number of nodes,
considering the overall mineral processing circuit
as an independent node and Ner is the additional
mass balance equations which must be
configured
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 SAMPLING-SCHEME
BACKGROUND

Here, a relatively complicated procedure is
applied, in which all the possible combinations,
which are determined, are checked for giving a
unique solution to system of equations

For example, if the number of flow streams,
contained in each of the above determined
combinations, is less than Nssmin, then the
given combination must be rejected, otherwise
this combination is acceptable
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SAMPLING-SCHEME BACKGROUND

Afterwards, the system of equations referred to the
acceptable combinations are configured in the
form of a matrix Ns x Ns

The rank of the matrix is also determined

If the rank of the matrix is less than the total
number of flowstreams (Ns), then the
corresponding combination is rejected,since it
doesn’t ensure a unique solution

Otherwise, if the rank of the matrix is equal or
greater than Ns, then this combination is
considered to be acceptable.
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 6
1 2 ROUGHER 4 SCAVENGER 7
3
10
CLEANER 1 8 5

9
12
14 CLEANER 2

11
CLEANER 3

16
13
CLEANER 4 (1.a)

15
6
1 N1 2 N2 4 N3 7

10 3
N4 8 N5 5

9
N6 12
14 11
N7
(1.b)
Ns = 16 13 16
Nn = 8
N8

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 CURRENT EXAMPLE
In the above shown circuit, we have:

Ns = 18, Nn = 8 and we assume that
Ner = 1

Then, Nssmin = 15

The total number of the possible combinations
is given by:
 Nn + 1 = ( Nn + 1)!
 Ner  = 36
  Ner !( Nn + 1 − Ner )!
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 CURRENT EXAMPLE

Applying the check/rejection procedure, from

the total number of combinations (36) only 12
of them are considered to be acceptable

These combinations ensure a unique solution
to the system of the equations

These combinations contain the number of
Nssmin = 15 flowstreams, which have to be
sampled

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 CONCLUSIONS

In the present paper it has been shown that, the
prediction of the minimum number of samples,
for the “description” of a mineral processing
circuit can’t be achieved using simply one
equation

Another inherent difficulty of the problem is the
determination of the correct positioning of the
streams to be sampled

Knowing the values of the samples, neither a
mass balance of the corresponding system
always exists nor the system of the equations
has a unique solution
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 CONCLUSIONS (continued)
In order to overcome the difficulties associated
with this problem, the proposed algorithm
has the following features:

Determines the number Nss of the streams
to be sampled (Nss must always be equal or
greater than Nssmin)

Detects the correct positions of the streams
to be sampled and contributes to the
calculation of the mass balance of the
system of equations resulted
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Configures all the acceptable
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CONCLUSIONS (continued)

The applicability of the proposed algorithm and

its adequacy was checked for several different
cases (flowsheets). From the whole procedure
it was shown that, the algorithm deals
successfully with the various problems in
“closing” mass balance calculations and it can
also be used as an alternative to procedures
previously developed and to the treatment
methods of sampling data.

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Thank you very much
for your attention !!!

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